It all begins so innocently. You whip out your credit card to pay for things like concert tickets, airline and hotels, ballgames, home improvements, etc. The next thing you know, it comes time to pay bills, and you’re paying a lot more than the original asking price of these items. We all do it, and most of us don’t feel good about it later on.

The convenience of paying for things with credit cards has become an American tradition. Worldwide, statistics are becoming overwhelming: